


Quest: A Dream Team Fanfic

by CATtheDrawer



Series: Quest Series [1]
Category: Dream team minecraft, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF, Youtubers
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Fantasy, Gen, Minecraft, minecraft youtubers - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:40:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 20,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26264347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CATtheDrawer/pseuds/CATtheDrawer
Summary: Dream, a hunter, searching for his past with only a clue left for him by his adoptive parents. He travels to the Artician Empire, and forms a party with the wannabe knight George, a man from a crumbling village to the north who hopes to save his home by amassing wealth and fame. Later Sapnap, an intrepid fire mage, joins their party having lost the only home he’s ever known and seeing the teacher he’s respected murdered. He vows to discover the forces behind the murder and make them pay.Together they take on quests and through luck or perhaps bad luck, they rise quickly in the ranks as they are met with unforeseen danger. They fight the undead, meet unlikely allies, and uncover secrets about the strange dungeons that have been appearing throughout the continent for centuries.Meanwhile, efforts to strengthen the Empire of Articia through the trade for an Eternal Crystal are being foiled as plans to assassinate the Crown Prince lurk in the shadows. Clues about Dream’s mysterious connections to the ruins and the strange writings on the inside of his mask may be lost to him and the rest of the Team if they are unable to stop the assassins in time and save the Crown Prince’s life.
Series: Quest Series [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1908817
Comments: 49
Kudos: 137





	1. !DISCLAIMER!

***** CHAPTER 1.1 \- October 1st 2020 12PM (MST)*****

**Disclaimer**

Hey! I am CATtheDrawer. Some of you may know who I am, I used to write MCYT fanfics a few years back about Team Crafted and others associated with the former Team Crafted members.

But to all those that don't know me, welcome! I am here, once again, to deliver unto all of you another MCYT fanfic, this time about the Dream Team (and others)! 

I have a few quick notes before we begin the journey.

  1. The characters in this story are inspired and based on popular Minecraft Youtubers. These characters **aren’t** meant to be exact representations of the actual people and any real-life similarities are coincidences. Aspects of the characters in this story have been made up or modified to fit the purpose of the story and are in no way representative of their actual personal lives.
  2. This story plans to combine both writing and art. In my old stories, art was a side piece, but here I want to challenge myself to actively produce art as part of the storytelling process. So things like drawings of the scenes, short comics, etc. Chapters may be delayed due to the production of art, so please be aware I may not update as consistently as I used to with my older fics.
  3. This story contains **NO** ships. I'm not comfortable writing romance so I don't normally write it. **HOWEVER** , feel free to ship in the comments (characters only, don’t bring the actual people into this). I love and enjoy seeing people passionate about the things they love, just don't be toxic, and please don't spam me and try to force me to make any ships canon in this story. I've had some issues with that in my old fanfics and it's not fun.
  4. I put a lot of effort into my stories but I always welcome feedback and constructive criticism. So don't be afraid to point out anything, no matter how small. I enjoy reading comments so it makes me happy to see reader participation. And I really love reading theories and jokes in the comments! They are fun and funny. XD
  5. If for some reason you guys want to make fanart and are looking to tag me in it, I suggest tagging me on Twitter ( **CATtheDrawer** ) or on Instagram ( **catthedrawer** ). I am more likely to see it there.
  6. Please do **NOT** use my art without permission. If you ask I will more than likely let you use it so long as it's not being used commercially and as long as there is proper crediting. But please **ask first**.
  7. More than 70% of this story has been planned out, and I do expect it to be quite long; I may even have to split it into a series of books. So I hope you are prepared for a turbulent roller coaster of fun, sun, and heart-stopping drama.



I hope you all are as excited as I am, I miss writing and have been struggling with writing for the past few years. But I feel refreshed with this story and can't wait to get to the good stuff. Let’s get right into it folks!

**~CATtheDrawer**

**COVER ART (c) CATtheDrawer**

***** CHAPTER 1.1 \- October 1st 2020 12PM (MST)*****


	2. Aegriea World Map

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My map skills have improved folks. :) You thought the Falling to Rise Map was good, wait till you see these. There are different versions! Also any old readers from wattpad see the easter egg in the last image?

***** CHAPTER 1.1 \- October 1st 2020 12PM (MST)*****

**Aegriea World Map**

**The Empire of Articia (** Main places of interests **):**

**Map of the area Quest will be centralized in:**

**The Continent of Aegriea** \- terrain:

**The Continent of Aegriea** \- Regions, Countries, Kingdoms:

  
  


***** CHAPTER 1.1 \- October 1st 2020 12PM (MST)*****


	3. ~~Arc One - Ruins of Old~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They are link to animations I posted on my youtube btw.

***** CHAPTER 1.1 \- October 1st 2020 12PM (MST)*****

Here are some animations I made in preparation for this story.

**NEW GAME?**

**CHARACTERS UNLOCKED** \- Dream and George

***** CHAPTER 1.1 \- October 1st 2020 12PM (MST)*****


	4. Chapter 1.1 - Start of a Legend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, my computer was a tad slow, it took me a few minutes to post. 
> 
> Let the story begin!

**Quest**

**Chapter 1.1 [Start of a Legend]**

_Sometimes...the friends you make become your life long companions._

_Sometimes it feels like you've known them for as long as you've been alive._

_Sometimes your bonds become thicker than blood, unshakable, unbreakable, forever._

George found himself panting heavily as he stumbled through the crumbling debris around him. He tripped over loose rubble and fell scraping the skin on his palms--a sharp pain shot through his foot. He grimaced; he needed to hurry. He could see his friends racing towards the blown out balcony just up ahead.

Without pausing to check his injury he forced himself up and continued running, each step was like lightning coursing through him, but everyone was counting on him.

"Dreaaaam!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, "Catch!" with every bit of strength he could muster he swung his arms and tossed his shield into the air. George once again fell as he lost his balance. He could just barely see Dream turn his head in his direction.

_Even if he was given the chance by some god, he wouldn't trade the life he had now for any other._

_Even if he died now he would still cherish every memory, every hardship, and every second spent._

Dream leaped into the air while running after Sapnap who was further ahead; his fingers just narrowly missing the rim of George's shield. Without missing a beat, his feet landed on the ground and he dove for the shield. He caught it and stumbled to remain on his feet as he kept running after Sapnap.

"Dream, are you sure about this?" Just a few feet in front of him, Sapnap skidded to a halt at the edge of the crumbling balcony; he was shouting to Dream. Sweat was dripping down his face as intense magical energy emanated from him in waves. Dream could feel the pressure from here as the ball of fiery energy in Sapnap’s outstretched hands grew larger with each passing second. Sapnap had been running while casting the spell in his hands.

Dream faltered in his words; even he wasn't sure if he could pull it off. Down below he could hear the ongoing battle. It was only him, Sapnap, and George who managed to force their way into the castle with their half thought out plan. One wrong move and it would be over--for all of them...but…

His grip tightened around George’s shield and he shouldered his doubts. He trusted them, George and Sapnap, and all the friends below fighting to give him a chance. He knew they would all have his back, "Don't worry, trust me!"

"Then get ready, I'll release the spell in 10 seconds...but I've never casted a spell this strong so I don't know how safe it will be." Dream nodded, he sucked in a tense breath. The rippling pressure in the air made it almost suffocating to breathe.

_10_

He straightened his back, bent his knees, and took off to the left. He would need to time this perfectly to minimize the damage.

_9_

_8_

_7_

Dream leapt over a fallen statue and began to build up his momentum.

_6_

_5_

_4_

He parkored higher into the air as he neared the balcony. He used the surrounding furniture and rubble as his stepping stones.

_3_

Dream leapt straight past Sapnap and over the edge, he sucked in a breath, his brows furrowed.

_2_

He gripped the strap of George's shield and brought the shield below his feet. He felt like he was floating in mid air. He tucked in his body.

_1_

The force was sudden, the heat was blazing. Sapnap yelled as he released the spell and was blown backwards by the force. Dream was launched forward high into the sky as the spell hit George's shield and sent him soaring. He held back a hiss as the heat intensified, even the rubber on the soles of his shoes were not spared from the spell.

Not yet. Not yet! Dream continued to hold out. He continued to grip the shield's strap ensuring it remained under his feet even as the wood began to burn and the metal began to melt.

Dream took a deep breath, he soaked in the sounds and the smells. This was the moment, the moment that fate has been leading him to. As the spell began to slow down and flicker out, he reached his free hand for the axe on his back.

Dream opened his eyes, let go of the shield and brought out his axe. He was hundreds of feet into the air, but below him was the beast.

"You can do it!" George screamed. Dream could hear him and all his friends cheering him on.

He would win for sure. The future was resting on him.

**~~~~~**

**1 Year Earlier**

"Ahh! Darnit!" George slumped down in his chair and sighed. The girl across from him took a sip of her drink before she set it down to speak.

"So are you going to explain what happened or am I supposed to assume the world is ending?"

"If only it were just that!" George cried out, he winced at the fleeting pain in his shoulder, "Catching rabbits shouldn't be this hard! Em, please tell me what I'm doing wrong," he sighed and hung his head.

"There isn't much I can say that I haven't already told you before, you need to form a party with someone. You aren't going to get far as an amatuer adventurer by yourself with your stats."

George frowned, "Look, I'm a friendly guy, but if it were that easy to make or join parties I'd already be in one," Em didn't look convinced. She took another sip from her drink.

"Well that's the only advice I can give you, if even after forming a party and you're still not progressing then come back to me, otherwise you might have to rethink your current career choice," she stood up and downed the last of her drink, "I'm going to head back to work now, order some food, it's on me," his friend slapped down a few bronze coins and waved goodbye. George half heartedly returned the gesture. As soon as she was out of earshot and eyeshot George groaned, he should've known that was about the only advice he was going to be given.

George looked around, it was still early morning so not many patrons or adventurers were here in the spacious guild lobby. George himself sat off to the side at a little table. It was near the many counters used to submit quest requests and receive rewards, along with inquiries into guild matters. On the opposite side of George's table, past the other tables was a small bar. The bar served many of the workers, adventurers and regular folk meals, and was a popular place to take a break and relax before taking on a new Quest.

George got up and took the change left by Em, he might as well order something so that the money didn't go to waste. As soon as the thought crossed his mind he felt his stomach rumble beneath his clothes, he clutched his stomach. Unfortunately, he's been living quite frugally due to the lack of reward money from quests.

George was a member of the Adventurer’s guild, he belonged to the kingdom of Articia's division of the guild, however the guild was an organization sponsored by many nobles and royals from across the continent. It was one big organization but each country had its own division. As a citizen of Articia, it was only natural that he joined Articia's Adventurers guild.

But...George's stomach rumbled again--he hasn't been performing very well and he's made very little progress in ranking up.

"Excuse me," George called out to someone behind the counter at the bar.

"Hm?"

"You think I can order some of your hot porridge and a glass of juice?" 

"Don't know, can you?" the woman raised her brow and looked at him.

"Right...uh, yes? I can?" George didn't mean for that to come out like a question. He placed the coins on the counter. She took one look at it and sighed before snatching up the money.

"It'll be a few minutes, go ahead and take a seat. We'll bring it right out."

"Thanks," George turned around and made his way back to his table. He looked over to the guild's counters, they would be opening up for the day soon. And then the early rising adventurers would be rushing to get their first pick of new daily quests from the board.

Normally he would too, but he needed to eat first and rethink all his plans. He saw Em come out in uniform. and get behind the counter. George tossed her a small wave. She frowned and mouthed something to George.

_Join. A. Party._

George sighed, she was really insistent on that.

_Fine._

Couldn’t Em see it wasn’t that easy for him to just ‘ _join a party_ ’. At this time, most people were spoken for and already teamed up, and it'd be difficult for him to just barge into another team's functioning dynamic. Think about it this way, people that have been teamed up together for even a week now would find it difficult to adjust to suddenly having a new teammate. The only other option that came to George’s mind was that new adventurers tended to flock to the capital looking to make it big so finding party members there _seems_ like a good idea, but he didn't actually have the funds to journey to the capital, so that was a no-go. 

“Haaaah,” George let out a deep sigh. Even with all this brainstorming, he was still having no luck coming up with a plausible answer. _Dammit_ . Regardless of what path he tried to take in his head, he was left at square one, no friends and no money. And unfortunately for him, it's not like new, party-less adventurers just showed up out of nowhere. With every road blocked, he really was out of luck and thinking, maybe he wasn’t cut out for adventuring..

"’Ere's your order," a waiter came by and delivered him his porridge and juice and left before George could thank him; the morning shift must be rough. Really would be nice if a party member could just materialize before him.

He started to eat absentmindedly as he continued to think, but before long George sighed in defeat. He'd have better luck looking for a stable job as an apprentice elsewhere 0ver trying to find a party member.

"Excuse me, is this the Adventurer’s Guild?" George turned his head to look over at the counter where Em was working. He saw the strangest guy at the counter and that's saying something since the guild attracted a lot of weirdos.

At the counter was a guy wearing regular hunters apparel, a quiver and bow slung on his back and an axe hanging at his hip. But the strangest part was the mask adorned on his face, covering everything but his mouth. George didn't like to judge so he shrugged it off and carried on with his meal. Whatever it was, his friend at the counter could deal with it. 

****

**~~~~~**

"Excuse me, is this the Adventurer’s Guild?" Dream placed his hand on the counter, the surface was rough, it was just begging to stick his hand with splinters, but his hands were calloused and too tough for measly twigs to hurt him.

"Yep, what can I do for you?" Dream turned his head into the direction of the voice. There was a moment of relief in his heart when he realized he managed to find the right building, (finally). He let out a sigh of relief and took in the strong smell of stale bread, cured ham, and overly ripe, but freshly squeezed apple juice. There were muffled footsteps just above him, but he chose to ignore it.

"I want to find information about a quest my parents worked on 20 years ago. They left me this TeleGem with a message about it," Dream reached into his pocket and pulled out a smooth, round gem. He squeezed the gem gently and a moment later it started to radiate with warmth.

_Happy Birthday! Sorry, this is out of the blue sweetie, but your father and I decided to leave home and travel for a bit!_

A cheerful voice rang out from the gem. Dream was playing the message left to him by his parents. About a month ago he woke up one morning and found this gem left behind. It was certainly a shock to find his warmth filled home with the savory smell of freshly cooked breakfast empty.

_We know this may seem sudden, but since you’ve just turned 21 we thought it was time to give you room to make your own choices._

_20 years ago, when your father and I were still employed as adventurers, we were given a quest that took us into the northern part of the continent. It was a simple quest that quickly turned into something much more, it was the quest that lead us to you._

**Surprise, you are adopted kiddo** **_!_ **

Another voice sounded from the gem in Dream’s hand. It was his father’s. The familiar booming voice that carried brazen confidence and a playful tone at the end of each sentence brought a small smile to Dream’s lips. 

“Did you not know you were adopted beforehand?” the woman asked Dream. He shook his head in response, “D*mn, that’s rough buddy, what a way to find out.”

Dream could only nervously chuckle in response. His ears burned. A month ago, he was just as taken aback and spent the morning fumbling to wipe the breakfast he dropped as he played his parent’s message. It was one hell of a birthday surprise to wake up to, but after the initial shock, he was hardly upset and found it quite characteristic of his parents who were riddled with mysteries and poorly-timed surprises. 

But it wasn’t as bad as the time when he turned 6 years old and his father took him out on his first proper hunting trip only to turn around and leave just as a wild boar came charging out of the underbrush. The last thing he heard was “Good luck!” Needless to say, he came home late into the evening covered in light cuts and bruises only after the boar tuckered itself out and abandoned the tree he had to climb in a panic.

It was not a successful hunting trip. And his dad got scolded by his mom for attempting such a stupid tactic. Dream remembered his dad trying to defend himself, but in the end it didn’t matter, his mom could be quite scary when she was mad. 

His dad had to take a " _different_ " approach to teaching him about how to “expect the unexpected.” He would still run but this time he would hide and watch Dream to make sure no more “scuffles with boars” occurred. 

And just 2 years later, Dream managed to finally prepare a successful hunting trap; he caught not the game but his father. No more spontaneously running from him during hunting trips. He’d managed to figure out his dad’s hiding spots and used that to his advantage.

**You are more than welcome to stay home but if you wish to explore the world and discover where you came from, travel south to the country of Articia. Their division of the Adventurer’s guild holds the file on our quest from 20 years ago.**

_Request to see Quest file A - 12080, and safe travels! We love you!_

There was a quiet ding to signal the message ended. Dream pocketed his TeleGem and cleared his throat, “So that was the message they left me and I’ve only recently arrived here in this town. I was told Fulton town was home to the 2nd biggest Articia guild headquarters.”

“Well, you’re certainly at the right place, could you answer a few questions for me?” Dream nodded. He heard the woman pull open a drawer and rummage around. The soft noise of a pen scratching on paper could be heard just a moment later.

“Alright, can I have your name, age, and home of origin, to the best of your knowledge.”

“Uhm, Dream, 21, and the Forked-Tongue Mountains of the Loem region.”

“And can I see your guild pass?”

Dream faltered with his words, “Sorry? A guild pass?”

The woman stopped writing, “Yeah, you’re trying to access an A-ranked quest file, so I need your guild pass. Only B rank and above can look at A-ranked quest files...don’t tell me you don’t have a guild pass.”

“I didn’t know it required a pass, my parents never mentioned it in their message and I’ve never previously joined a guild before so…” he shifted uncomfortably where he stood. 

She sighed, “Unfortunately sir I won’t be able to let you see the files without proper credentials. All quest B-ranked and above are classified.” Her pen clattered and rolled along the wooden counter, evident only by the barely audible noise of the pen’s movement. She tapped the counter softly, as if in thought. The silence was unbearable. Dream opened his mouth to say something several times but stopped himself each time.

With his parents’ sudden decision to travel the continent he was left with boring days and nights fulfilling the same routine. Leaving home was his only option, and he’s spent just barely a month traveling down his mountainous home trekking the unfamiliar terrain and crossing through 3 different borders just to reach Artician land. 

He’s never been far outside the mountain ranges and he thought this would be a valid excuse to leave and experience the wide world before him. But from here...what should he do?

“Here’s a suggestion pal, I have a friend just over there. He’s a mopey fool struggling to rank up past G. Why don’t you register as an adventurer and form a party with him. The two of you can complete quests and when you finally reach rank B you can come back look at those files whenever you want.”

“I can do that?”

“Yep.”

Dream smiled, this sounded easy enough. It was a better plan than what he was considering, “Alright, how do I sign up?”

His question was answered when he heard the sound of a drawer being pulled open again and papers being flipped through. He felt the light brush of air against his skin as what sounded like a stack of paper being set in front of him and pushed in his direction. “Just fill out these forms and pay a small fee of 50 bronze.”

Dream grabbed the papers, “Ok...just one problem...I can’t read or write.”

There was a pause after he spoke. He couldn’t tell what she was thinking but he was sure the awkward silence and muttered swears were evidence of agitation and a hint of bewilderment.

Dream jumped as she suddenly shouted, “George! Quit your moping, and mosey on over here!” A little warning would have been nice before she blew out his eardrums!

**~~~~~**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word Count: 3206
> 
> So glad to finally post these chapters! Please leave any feedback yu have below, I want this to be something you guys will enjoy! I put a lot of work into this story and I cant wait for the journey to continue!
> 
> Vote, comment, follow! ❤
> 
> ~CATtheDrawer


	5. Chapter 1.2 - Masked Man

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2.1 TOMORROW at 12pm MST!

**Quest**

**Chapter 1.2 [Masked Man]**

George nearly fell backward in his chair when his friend yelled, it startled a few of the drowsy patrons trying to enjoy the quiet morning. George was only half listening to what was going on. His seat was so close to the counters it would be hard not to hear the TeleGem's message and then some. 

"Gezz! You didn't need to shout, I'm right here!" George downed the last of his juice and stacked his dirty dishes up onto the tray. He abandoned his seat and dishes and walked over to the counter to get a better look at the guy with the mask. He was rather tall and built up well. His messy dirty-blonde hair jutted up and out from under his mask, and boy was it a strange mask. All the mask was decorated with was a smiley face, secret murderer vibes anyone?

But he shouldn’t judge, “What do you need Em?”

“This guy here is signing up to be an adventurer, and he can’t read or write so you’re gonna help him,” she pointed aggressively at George, as if telling him he had no choice in the matter.

“Ok…” He smiled politely in the masked guy’s direction and then leaned over the counter and began to whisper, “And you can’t do this yourself why???”

Em furrowed her brows at him and flicked his forehead. He jerked his head back and glared, “I’m helping you, idiot. This is your chance to form a party and complete some quests.”

_ Ohhh _ , he mouthed, but he didn’t stop glaring at her. George looked back at the masked man, “Uh, hi. I’m George, nice to meet you,” he held out his hand to the man.

“Hello, I’m Dream, thank you for the help,” the man responded, he smiled but ignored George’s outstretched hand. George pursed his lips together, it felt a little awkward to him, but he brought his hand back and picked up a pen.

“Alright, I’m going to leave you two for a bit so you can fill out the paperwork. Dream, if you have any questions you can go ahead and ask George here, he’s been an adventurer for a month and can help you out,” Em waved to them and moved over to another counter where she proceeded to beckon someone else over. George looked behind him, he hadn’t even noticed the slowly forming line. 

For a moment there was silence between the two of them. George cleared his throat, he couldn’t let this awkward silence go on, it just wasn’t his style. And Em gave him the perfect opportunity to finally form a party. He was just stuck minutes ago trying to come up with a brilliant idea to join a party--but he didn’t need to worry about that here if his awkward self didn’t screw this up. If he managed this, it’d be so much easier to complete these small quests.

“Alright, I’m going to help you fill out these forms, feel free to ask me any questions you have about the guild.” George wrote out Dream’s name as he spoke.

He just needed to stay calm, and try not to panic. George had an idea. If George could answer Dream’s questions and if he wasn't super awkward about it, then together they could do at least one quest. And if they worked well together and helped each other then maybe George's journey as an adventurer wouldn't be so lonely and short.

“Oh. Thanks for the help dude. I did have one question, it was about what your friend mentioned. She said we should form a party, is that like where adventurer’s group up to complete quests together?” 

“Yea! Actually, I’ve been here for a month, but I haven’t had any luck joining a party,” George rubbed the back of his neck and did a sheepish little bow. This probably made him sound like he was always alone. In actuality, a lot of new adventurers join the guild with people they plan to party with, but he was someone who joined the guild knowing no one in a town that strange and unfamiliar. So it was difficult to find people willing to help a complete stranger like him. 

George cleared his throat, “But...since you’re new and I heard you came here all the way from Loem, so you probably don’t know anyone in town, we can party together. I’m in a similar boat since I came from a few towns over and don’t know anyone either, and any quests we do we can just split the rewards 50/50.”

“Really? Thank goodness,” George heard Dream let out a sigh, “I would love to party with you, you seem like a good guy and it’d be really helpful having someone who knows their way around town.”

George did a silent cheer, his solo questing days were finally over! “Great! Do you mind telling me your specialty? I already overheard you mention your age and region of origin already so I can fill those out.”

“By specialty do you mean my weapons? I use a bow and an axe for hunting if that helps,” Dream pointed to the bow on his back and placed a hand on the back of his axe’s blade. 

“Yep,” George nodded and jotted it down, “Ok, that takes care of your paperwork. The rest of the papers is actually just information on the guild, but since you can’t read you don’t have to worry about that right now. The pictures are probably enough, plus you have me!”

“Thanks.”

George separated the form from the rest of the papers, “Do you think you can sign the form? It’s so that the guild knows you recognize the risks of death and permanent injury while on the job, and whatnot.”

“Sure,” Dream held out his hand and George dropped the pen into his palm.

George tapped the sheet of paper, “Just sign here on the li--” George was cut off by Dream reaching out for the sheet and drawing the biggest smiley face over the entire sheet before setting the pen down.

“Hope this works as a signature,” he smiled. George snapped out of his confused daze.

He laughed, “that’s certainly one way to do it--hey Em,” George waved to his friend, “When you’re done over there we’ve finished the paperwork.” She gave him a thumbs-up to signal she heard him.

“Let’s sit down over here,” George turned and pointed to the table he had breakfast at earlier.

“Sure, “Dream walked over and sat down, “I did have another question by the way, how does the ranking system work? My parents were adventurers before they raised me and they said they were only a few quests away from S rank. ”

George sat down and had to struggle to contain his shock.  _ S rank??? _ “Wow, that’s impressive. To keep it short, the ranks are a division of skill, it dictates the level of difficulty on a quest and what kind of quests you can take on. Plus there are certain privileges that being a certain rank can get you. S rank is one of the top ranks, and it’s not easy to get to.

“Let me show you,” George brought out the stack of papers that were part of Dream’s signing up. 

“New adventurer’s star at the lowest rank, G, regardless of skill. The reason is to introduce easy, low-level quests and get people like us used to the system. Plus it's a way of testing whether we are suited to adventuring. 

“G-rankers aren’t allowed to take on quests outside of the town or city they joined the guild in--”

“Wait, we can’t? How do you dungeon hunt in a town?” Dream tilted his head in confusion as he cut George off.

“Uhh...well I know you said your parents were A-rankers, almost S-ranked, but dungeon subjugations are normally E rank--at the lowest level of dungeon difficulty. We’d have to get promoted to F before we can even reach E rank. 

“For now, we can only do simple quests, gathering herbs, and finding lost pets. Once we become F-rank we can travel around to other towns and villages and take on their quests too--Oh! E rank is also where the special perks start coming into play too," George waggled his finger and grinned.

“Oooo, too bad we have to start with those easy quests though. But how do you rank up? **"**

“From what I know, it’s mainly based on the number of quests you complete, and how well you complete them. But there are a few other ways we don’t need to worry about now.” George didn’t think explaining to Dream every little detail would do them any good. It would over complicate things for them when they should be focusing on the basics.

“So how many have you completed?” George stayed silent and inwardly screamed, how should he tell Dream that the guy he’s partying up with has failed even the simplest herb gathering quest. Though in his defense, everything about adventuring was unfamiliar to him, and despite how he was dressed and how he “expertly ” explained things to Dream, he’s never held a sword before this month.

“Alright you two, let’s finish this up,” Em walked back over to the counter where she was previously helping them. Saved by Em! Now George didn’t feel pressured to reveal his quest-completing failures. Or his major lack of experience.

Em picked up Dream’s form that George left on the counter, she glanced at it and frowned, it was probably due to Dream’s smiley face signature he drew over the entire form. She didn’t bring it up and filed it away, “Let’s get you set up with an ASE-stone, wait here.”

Em left them once more. He and Dream got up from their seats and walked over to the counter, “An ASE-stone? What is that?” Dream asked.

“I’m a little surprised you don’t know since your parents are adventurers. It’s probably the most important thing to an adventurer, it works as our guild pass, and is connected to our blood, which allows us to see our stats, health, and abilities,” Dream quietly nodded.

“Here we are, hold out your hand sir,” Dream held out his hand to Em. George winced as he saw her prick his finger, Dream jerked his hand back, “Relax, it’s just so that we can set up your ASE-stone.” Dream reluctantly gave Em his hand again. George remembered having the same reaction, Em tended to do things rather abruptly and with no warning.

George watched as Em took the finger she pricked and placed it on top of a small dark blue-green gem that was embedded in a thin band. It pulsed lightly with a blue hue before going dark again. “Give it a few minutes and it should be good to go, I’m leaving the rest in your hands George, and good luck to you Dream.” She placed the bracelet into Dream’s hand and waved before moving back to another counter.

“Thanks, Em!” George waved back. He couldn’t believe it, he was literally one step away from being in an official party with someone. And though he was insanely curious about Dream’s mask he wasn’t gonna ask.

Dream fitted the bracelet onto his wrist and turned to George, “What kind of quests are there, since we are partying up and we’re rank G, there’s got to be something we can do.”

“Yeah, right up here, all new daily quests and long-term quests are posted here on this board. They’re separated by rank and reward. I can read them out to you,” George lead Dream to the back of the guild hall where a portion of the wall was sectioned off. The wall had posters hanging up along the wall in a somewhat sporadic and messy fashion.

“Let’s do a quest that explores the town if possible. The sooner I get used to the area the easier it will be for me, getting lost is always a bother.”

“How 'bout this then,” George unpinned a poster and held it up to Dream. 

“It reads,  _ LOST PET _ , 100 bronze reward if found. And it looks like it lists a few places their cat goes to often, so we can use this as an excuse to explore the town too while we search,” George read out to Dream.

“That sounds good to me, let’s do it!” Dream nodded in affirmation.

“Alright, let’s go!” George and Dream took off towards the exit, George stopped momentarily to shout back at Em, “Thanks so much, wish us luck!”

With that, the two newbie adventurers were off. Their journey has only just begun and the story of the legend they start begins here.

**~~~~~**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word Count: 2123
> 
> Chapter 2.1 TOMORROW at 12pm MST! 
> 
> Please tell me what you think so far and vote, comment, follow! ❤
> 
> ~CATtheDrawer


	6. !Characters Unlocked! [Dream & George]

**D R E A M \- **Hunter (Lvl -20)

** Special Moves **

**CONCEAL** ( _Level 2/10) **-** _An ability that hides one's own presence. This ability is weakened or nullified if someone else's _"PERCEIVE"_ or similar ability is a higher level than his _"CONCEAL"_ ability.

**TRACK** ( _Level 2/10_ ) **-** An ability that heightens his senses and allows him to track his target. This ability is weakened or nullified if someone's _"CONCEAL"_ or similar ability is a higher level than his _"TRACK"_ ability.

**6TH SENSE** ( _Level 3/10_ ) **-** A _passive_ ability that detects **bloodthirst** and **danger**. This ability has a chance to detect info about a place. This ability is weakened or nullified against enemies whose _ATTACK SPEED_ is higher than his _"6TH SENSE"_ ability.

**~~~~~**

**G E O R G E \- **Swordsman (Lvl 19)

** Special Moves **

**LOCKDOWN** ( _Level 2/10_ ) **-** An ability that uses George's fear and converts it into the strength to become an unmovable wall to protect his allies. This ability is weakened or nullified against enemies whose _AGILITY_ level or _STRENGTH_ level is higher than his _"LOCKDOWN"_.

***NOTE*** These are their starting stats at the beginning of the story, you will get to see them updated through out the story as they grow and become stronger. More characters will also be unlocked in due time.

**~CATtheDrawer**


	7. Chapter 2.1 - Lost Pet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to vote, comment, or follow!
> 
> Tomorrow you will get chapter 2.2 and then Quest will be updated on a weekly-biweekly schedule.
> 
> ~CATtheDrawer

**Quest**

**Chapter 2.1 [Lost Pet]**

“So Dream, you mentioned your parents were adventurers, are they both from Articia?” George and Dream walked side by side in the streets, they were heading to the address listed on the quest poster. There they could gather information about the cat they were looking for before they started going place to place searching.

Dream shook his head, “No, my mother is from a port town in Loem, but my dad is from Articia. They told me they met on a joint dungeon subjugation sponsored by both Loem and Articia because the dungeon was right on their borders. It might’ve been about 30 years ago, I think.” It wasn’t as early in the morning as it was when George and Dream met so the town streets were beginning to crowd as the day drew closer to noon. George was doing his best to lead the two of them through the town using the map that was printed on the backside of their quest poster. He really hoped they wouldn’t have this much trouble finding their cat as he was having to find their home.

George whistled before snapping his head back into Dream’s direction, his previous concerns about being lost forgotten, “30 years ago?! You’re not talking about the massive dungeon that spawned on the borders of Loem and Articia along the cliffs of the Divide? The one where they sent over 100 Artician Imperial knights and 300 adventurers from both Loem and Articia combined?”

Dream stopped walking and George was trying hard to hold back his shock and excitement. He almost missed important information while trying to look for a house. Dream nodded almost hesitantly, “You know it?”

“Do I know it? Are you crazy!” George was half shouting in the middle of the road as he grabbed Dream’s shoulders and started shaking him, “How could I not! That’s an unbelievably legendary dungeon subjugation. Probably the most famous in the last century! And your parents were a part of that! Now I’m curious, who were your parents??” George let go of Dream, he glanced around and noticed odd stares thrown his way. He looked back at Dream red in the face “S-sorry, I’m getting out of hand, but this is too amazing, to think I’m talking to the son of _two_ adventurers part of _that_ dungeon subjugation.”

“Hey, it's all cool, I didn’t even know it was such a big deal. It was just one of the many stories they told me as a kid.” They started walking again, “I’ve always lived in the mountains with just my parents so the only time I interacted with others is when my dad took us down the mountain to a nearby village to trade away some of our game in return for supplies, especially to prepare for the winter.”

“I’m from the region that part of the dungeon used to occupy. Everyone knows about it there, and I used to listen to stories from some of the older folk in the town I lived in, they would talk about how the battles raged on for over a week all through the night. I always admired the knights and adventurers who were a part of that battle, if not for them then the monsters could have overrun our region and I wouldn’t be here today.” 

“Is that why you became an adventurer? Because you were inspired by them?” Dream asked. George turned the corner with Dream lagging just slightly behind.

George shook his head, he was much calmer now after the initial shock and excitement. His smile became sadder in response to Dream’s question, “No, I became an adventurer for a different reason…”

“Oh…" Dream hesitated, "sorry, is it a touchy subject?”

George glanced over at Dream as he quickened his pace to match George's. He didn’t seem like a bad guy, sure he had a peculiar fashion sense and an odd way of doing some things. And maybe he lacked just a _tiny_ bit of common sense, but George has had nothing but positive vibes from Dream. In fact, in his opinion, he would say they hit it off pretty well for two people who only met each other hardly an hour ago. 

George felt like he could trust him, “It’s not. My family is actually a small household of nobles in Articia, they govern a small town in the northwest region of the empire and are vassals to the Marquess of the region where I’m from. But recently my family’s wealth is falling short of the Marquess’ taxes and our town is failing to meet certain quotas...”

“So did you become an adventurer for the money? In order to support your town and family?” They walked the streets a little slower now. George was sure they were almost there, they were near the outskirts of the town, but not quite to the walls that bordered the town.

“I’m actually aiming to become a knight, but without an official recommendation or the money to enroll in the academy, I have to make a name for myself elsewhere. Being an adventurer is the only other path that will get me recognized, and if I can become a knight, especially an Imperial Knight, I might be able to buy our land from the Marquess and separate our territory from them.”

Dream slowly nodded, "Just one question, why a knight? Aren't there other methods of making large sums of money, couldn't you stay as an adventurer and become a high ranking adventurer?”

“I could...but,” George faltered. He had a reason, but it was more personal and he didn’t want to share it quite yet. George’s heart skipped a beat, “I think we’re here!” George pointed to a small little red house. Cute, potted flowers lined the outside, it was rather quaint.

Their conversation was cut short as they walked up to the door. George knocked twice and took a step back.

"One moment!" George heard noises from inside, loud thuds, and maybe something glass-like shattering. The door swung open suddenly and George nearly jumped in surprise, he glanced over at Dream who seemed unphased, "Yes?" An older woman greeted them, large round spectacles stuck barely at the tip of her nose, begging to fall. She pushed them up and dusted her pants off before standing up tall.

"We're here about your lost cat poster you had in the Adventurer’s guild," Dream took the lead. For a moment, she looked dazed before recognition shot through her eyes, "OH!" both George and Dream flinched at her sudden outburst, "Yes, sorry. I've been in a tizzy trying to clean up around here, my cat got loose while I was doing laundry yesterday afternoon and I desperately need help looking for her." George took a peek and noticed the complete disarray of the inside, a stark contrast to the quaint outside appearance.

"That's what we're here for ma'am, we just want to know if your cat tends to wander any places in particular or any mannerism that may help us in our search." 

"Hmmm, perhaps the market just west of here, there's a bakery in that area. Normally I take my cat with me and we stop by to buy some sweets. She's always a fan of their peach danishes. And sometimes when I let her out in the afternoon she comes back with wet and muddy paws...but I can never figure where from since the weather is always nice," the woman furrowed her brows in thought.

"Do you let her out often?" Dream asked.

"Oh sure, she's been an adventurous little feline since she was a kit, but she always comes back. When she didn’t come back last night I grew worried and submitted a quest to the guild--I'm so glad you two are here. You look like a reliable young lad and lass."

"L-lass?!" George sputtered.

The woman pushed up her spectacles again and squinted her eyes in George's direction, "Oh dear, sorry, my prescription is a tad outdated. I meant two young lads such as yourself. I feel relieved knowing that my cat is in good hands."

George heard the faintest chuckle beside him, but he wouldn't comment on that now. He smiled politely and thanked the woman for her time. They assured her that they would bring her cat back safe and sound.

The woman waved them off as they headed back into town.

"So our first stop is the market west of here right? And then the bakery?" Dream asked.

"I didn't forget the chuckling I heard coming from your direction, but yes, we should probably go to the market first."

"Lead the way," Dream motioned his arm forward as if to mirror his words. 

George took the lead. The Adventurer’s guild was located north of where they were, and the market they were heading to was in the west. With it being midday now, the market was sure to be bustling with merchants, vendors, and travellers. 

As they cut through an alley, the noises of the market came flooding in.

“Alright, let’s try to cover more ground. I’ll check in with any bakeries around here if you want to ask any stall clerks or passing people,” George turned to Dream who seemed almost stunned by the market.

“H-huh, oh sure. I’ll just be..um, over there?” Dream pointed unsurely to the left. George watched Dream awkwardly walk into the market; he kept stopping periodically to avoid the crowds. George was a little bit concerned, but he was sure Dream could handle himself.

**~~~~~**

“Thank you for your time,” George left the 3rd bakery. He wasn’t having any luck with his questioning and hoped by now maybe Dream managed to scrounge up some information. He was going to quickly meet up with Dream who should be asking around the stalls about the cat, “Hey Dream--” George paused.

As he exited the bakery and called out to Dream, he spotted him munching on some food at a stall. But what made him pause was the clear agitation on the stall clerk’s face.

“Uh Dream?” 

“Hmm?” He stopped munching and turned to face George as he walked to Dream.

“Did you pay for that?”

Dream paused. Due to the mask, George wasn’t sure what kind of expression he had on him but after a moment he answered, “Was I supposed to?” genuine confusion could be heard in his voice.

George almost yelled out in surprise, but he held it in.

**~~~~~**

"Sorry," Dream mumbled through the food in his mouth. They sat, away from the crowds, along the side of the road just outside the rim of the marketplace, "I didn't know I wouldn't be able to trade my rabbit pelts for the food."

George waved him off, "Don't worry about it, if you were hungry you should have said so."

"Still, that was the last of your money, right? Sorry to make you waste it on me…I guess I get what the reward system for quests is for now," George chuckled at Dream's words. He wondered how Dream managed to make it all the way to Articia from the Forked-Tongue Mountains.

They sat in silence as Dream continued eating. George leaned back on his arms and looked up to the clear, blue skies. He squinted at the glaring sun before closing his eyes and sighing, "It's past noon now and we've had no luck. We've asked the shopkeepers, and the bakers at the bakery the client visits and then some, even passing travellers to see if they've seen the cat.

"And it probably would have been a good idea to have gotten the name of the cat when we were talking with the lady earlier this morning."

"And you're sure it's not written on the quest poster?" Dream licked his fingertips and wiped the crumbs from off his clothes.

George sighed, and pulled out the crumpled sheet from his pocket, "I've checked, the name isn't here. I don't know where we can look now. And scouring the entire town seems counter productive."

George looked over at Dream. He looked to be staring off into the open space before them through his mask, not sure at what though. 

"Let's try reviewing what we know," Dream said, "From what we were told, our client goes to the market in the mornings with her cat, and they go to the nearby bakery to buy bread and sweets. The cat likes peach danishes, but that probably won't help unless we want to coax the cat out from somewhere. We would need to know where she is first."

"Don't forget the wet paws," George added, "We were told her cat would come home some days with wet and muddy paws."

"Yeah, but from where? Does it rain here often?" Dream sniffed the air, "It's hardly rained since I crossed the borders into Articia, and the air in Fulton seems pretty dry."

George shook his head, "This town is just barely outside of the desert down south, there isn't much rain in this area as far as I know. But I've only been here for a mon--the river!"

George stood up, "Come on Dream! We need to get outside of town, if we head out the west gates, we'll be at the river. That must be where she goes!"

George started to swiftly walk before lapsing into a quick jog. Dream hurriedly gathered his things and stumbled behind him.

"G-George, hold up--Sorry," he said a quick apology as he bumped into a stranger, "Slow down!"

"We gotta hurry! The gates are closed at sundown, so we need to find that cat before then!" George was running now. How did he not realize it? The cat probably went out to fish by the river. No wonder her paws were wet and muddy, in this dry of an area it was the only explanation.

**~~~~~**

Dream slowed down to a halt, he was by no means an out of shape person, but he was breathing just a bit hard this time. Trying to follow after George was harder than it seems. Mainly for one big reason, but still.

“We made it, come on, let’s hurry to the riverbank," George heaved, "God, I never want to run that much again."

"You're telling me," Dream stood up straight, no more doubling over wheezing. He did a little stretch for his muscles and felt satisfied that he was ready to go.

George began walking, and Dream followed behind the quiet tread of his feet. Dream could already hear the sound of rushing water up ahead.

"Alright, let's start looking around, I'll head up the riverbank and you go down."

"Sure," Dream waited until George's footsteps began retreating away from him before he started heading the opposite way.

 _Looking_ for a cat was easier said than done for him. If only he had something this cat owned or touched, maybe he'd have better luck.

Dream felt bad about keeping secrets from George, but they did only meet earlier today. And given all his prior experiences in life, revealing too much information about himself never ended good. 

"Here kitty, kitty. Are you out here?" Dream kept his ears peeled for any noises, though the rushing water drowned out quite a bit. If not for his other senses he would have trouble navigating the area. His hand reached out for a tree just in front of him, the steady pulse of life from the tree made its own presence known to him. He wouldn't quite call this area a forest, it didn't smell nearly dense or large enough to be one, but it was certainly a slightly wooded area. There were enough trees that he needed to traverse the unfamiliar area carefully--Dream stumbled over a hard object.

“Oh shi--” he fell forward and scraped his palms along the grass, “Ow,” he turned back around and felt along the grass until he came across a hard, cold object. The gritty texture made it clear that he tripped over a rock. 

There was a rustling sound in front of him, “Is that you cat?” The breeze shifted and a pungent, rotting smell made its way to Dream’s nose, he froze. That’s not a cat--

Dream moved faster than his brain could process, on pure instinct alone. He rolled left just as something came swinging down to the spot he was just at. The feeling of the air rushing past him sent a chill down his spine. Dream leapt to his feet, “George!” he yelled. If not for the smell and the imminent feeling of danger he would never have known there was something in front of him. Something dangerous

He knew this smell, in an unpopulated area like the mountains he grew up in monsters like this found their way into the darkest areas of the forest.

“George, get over here, we’ve got a zombie!” Dream hoped that George was still near enough to hear him. Dream grabbed the axe at his hip and readied himself. 

**~~~~~**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words: 2835


	8. Chapter 2.2 - Zombie!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The SADist animation was rad and the Taco Bell hunt is bonkers
> 
> Lots of love man, enjoy the chapter btw!

**Quest**

**Chapter 2.2 [Zombie!]**

“George!” 

George looked back, he was sure he heard someone call his name. Was he hearing right? Was Dream calling for him?

"George, get over here, we’ve got a zombie!” 

George's eyes grew wide, a zombie? Here? They were so close to the town, and it was still daytime! Shouldn't the guards as the gate have spotted it, or wasn’t someone on patrol?

_ Crap _ , his legs were glued to the grass, he was only rank-G. He only needed to do small,  _ harmless _ quests. Like finding lost pets and cleaning up the streets, or maybe help someone move into a new home...not fighting a zombie! He didn’t even know how to fight!

He gulped, in the distance he heard a noise, like two metal objects scraping against each other. Dream must be fighting, the zombie was armed, it must be a high level zombie. There was no way he could take on a monster like that! No way! No way!

George squeezed his eyes shut, and he ran. 

He ran towards Dream. 

Eyes open, he tried to quell his pounding heart. Fighting a zombie?? That's just insane, he couldn't do that! But...George also couldn't leave Dream either. Just the thought of seeing a zombie froze his blood solid, what was he supposed to do?

But George had a sword, he’s been here a month...that’s got to count for something, right? He’d be abandoning the guy who just arrived in town today, it’d be irresponsible, and he knew better. If he left and ran like ever inch of his body was telling him to do, he’d be nothing but a coward. He could never let himself be a coward.

George broke through into the clearing, he skidded to a halt, his hand shook near the hilt of his cheap, market-bought sword. There was Dream, crouched in a tree and a zombie below him, iron sword and iron helmet. 

No wonder there was a zombie here during the day! Zombies burned during the day but if it had a helmet it was safe until killed.

"George! Is that you? Don't move." George looked back at Dream, he waved his arms to tell him to stay back, "Look to the tree on my left, I heard a meow. I think I found our cat. She was probably spooked by the rotting smell. I'll take care of the zombie." The zombie was hacking its sword against the tree, growling and snarling below Dream's feet.

George opened his mouth to speak, he squeaked but no words formed.

Snapping his mouth shut he retreated back into the trees. It was absurd to think they could fight a zombie, there's no way they could do it. And Dream wanted him to leave it to him while he was cornered in a tree...

It's ok, George didn't have to worry...Dream sounded confident...he could just...he could just get the cat and let Dream…

George's fingers wrapped around the hilt of his sword. He wasn't a  _ coward _ , not like his dad. He didn't abandon his friends!

George spun around, his eyes hardened with his determination. He pulled out his sword and charged.

"Don't worry!" He's never used a sword, but he was sure he could manage. He just needed to swing and hit--

"George! No! It’s sword is enchanted!" Dream shouted to him.

_ What! _ Only now as he got nearer could he see the faint purple glimmer on the sword's metal.

_ Shi-- _ His eyes widened as the zombie turned on him and swung its sword. George was slow. He only barely brought his sword up to defend. The two blades met.

_ Crack _ .

The force sent George flying into the trees, his sword knocked out of his hand. There was a screech above and as George lay dazed and with the breath knocked out of him, a small furry creature fell onto his lap.

He heaved and wheezed, black spots and stars danced across his vision. Why was everything spinning? Were zombies always this strong?

With the world doing somersaults across his eyes, he could just barely see a green blur leap from the trees above onto the back of the form he assumed was the zombie. The monster growled and snarled, shaking left to right and swinging its sword madly into the air. It seemed to forget him, the helpless prey flung across the ground like a bag of grain. George groaned, he blinked. A small form squirmed in his lap.

_ Meow. _

Looks like Dream was right, the cat really was hiding in the tree above him.

His head was still pounding, but he was beginning to regain his breath. He pushed himself up to a more upright position and waited for his vision to grow clearer. As it did, he was stunned to see Dream holding his own against the zombie, in fact, he was beating it!

The monster that flung him like a pebble was no match for Dream’s speed. Dream ducked under one swing and came right up behind him--swung his axe at the back of it’s legs. The zombie turned and swung it’s sword, stumbling due to injuries to it’s rotting flesh. Dream hardly moved as the sword missed his head. Before it could attack again, Dream swiped the zombie’s feet out from under it. It crumpled but still reached out to Dream. 

George knew he should get up and help. His sword was just a step away from him and with the zombie distracted he could go in and grab it. But George could only watch as his fear crippled his legs, his dizzying vision was no longer an excuse. George glanced down at the cat in his lap, a brown tabby with thin, slanted yellow eyes. He wished he was still half dazed with blurred vision so he didn;t have to face the guilt of being to scared to move. Too scared to face that zombie.

There was a noise and George turned back to look and see Dream kick the iron helmet off the monster and like lighting a torch it was set ablaze by the sun.

Dream left the burning monster behind as it began to turn to ash. He approached George, “Are you ok?”

George nodded. Dream reached out to the cat in George’s lap and picked her up, then he lent a hand to George and pulled him to his feet. 

“S-sorry...I did something really stupid,” George looked away shamefully. He only ended up causing problems and throwing himself in danger. If he had proper sword training he was sure he would have a better time managing.

George saw his sword cast aside and went to pick it up. He frowned when he saw the large crack in the metal, he knew he should have bought a better sword, but this was all he could afford at the time.

“Don’t worry about it, it’s good that you’re ok. I was worried when you jumped in, but you did help distract the zombie for me,” Dream said behind him.

_ Yeah...which was equivalent to being useless _ . George turned around to speak, but stood completely still. Dream’s mask was tucked under his arm, the strap hung at the ends of the mask, a clean cut severing it’s connection. Was it from when the zombie attacked earlier? Dream was wrapping the cat’s paw using the cloth tie he had around his waist beforehand.

But what was more shocking to George than seeing the face of his party member, was seeing his eyes, hazy and unclear.

"You're...blind???" George, shocked, couldn't keep his eyes from staring at Dream as he wrapped the cat's paw.

**~~~~~**

"Yeah," Dream spoke curtly, his body stiffened but he didn’t stop tending to the cat, "Is there a problem with that?" He's faced this sort of thing before, he never liked revealing he was blind to others because they always treated him like he was helpless. If not for the zombie’s sword just grazing the strap of his mask and damaging it, he never would have taken the mask off. He would have used the cloth he was using for the cat’s paw to retie his mask without George ever seeing his face.

Dream has never had a problem with being blind, in fact, he's never thought of it as an issue. He can navigate his surroundings just fine using sound, touch, smell, and heat. The heat one probably seemed odd to those with sight, but for him it was natural. Using the heat from life as a guide for him was indispensable in his daily navigation.

Dream was sure George would find remaining in a party with him hopeless.

"A problem?"  _ Here we go... _ "Are you kidding me, I can't even fathom how you did any of that! Looking back on it now, that was insane!" Dream was stunned a bit as the first stream of words came tumbling out.

"You--you went like WHOOSH, down the tree and then--and then like SLASH and KICK! As you hacked that zombie to pieces! And you kicked off his helmet like it was no big deal! Excuse me if this comes out rude, but you can't see yet you did something so  _ insane _ \--h-how!?" Dream could tell by George's frantic breathing that he was using a lot of energy moving around, probably using gestures to emphasize his point, as he spoke rapidly.

Then it got quiet for a moment, and George's voice came out a lot softer.

"If it were me I would have been too scared to attack something I couldn't see, but you were so brave...it's amazing. And here I am, stupidly rushing in like a fool with a death wish--I don’t even know how to use a sword yet I treated it like it made me invincible. I was completely useless as a teammate..." There was a smell of sadness, guilt, and disappointment. Dream was still shocked for words, his brain was attempting to process everything George was saying. Instead of treating him like extra weight, he was being heralded as a superhuman.

Dream opened his mouth several times but the words wouldn't form. The cat in his arms mewled, and momentarily he was distracted.

George spoke up once more, "I can't believe you were blind this entire time... I feel so stupid. Not only are you more experienced than me and stronger than me, but you're also braver. Having a party member like me is only going to drag someone as skilled as you down...When we get back, you should take all the reward money, it was completely your win." There was shuffling in the grass and a heavy sigh that sounded away from Dream. George had likely turned his back, he heard George start to trudge back in the direction of the town.

What the heck was he doing! Now wasn't the time to play dumb and stunned.

Dream hugged the cat close and took off jogging, "H-Hold up, wait, George," he reached out his free arm and grabbed hold of air. Sh*t now wasn't the time to be screwing up just because he was a little taken aback. 

He reached out again and this time latched onto George's shoulder, "George, stop. Let's talk." Dream pulled on George's shoulder, effectively turning him back to face him.

Geoge stayed silent and downcast. The air was thick with shame.

"Look, to be honest, I'm at a loss for words. None of what you said was what I was expecting. I'm still trying to process it," Dream paused and swallowed down his hesitation.

"Normally, when people find out, they treat me like I'm useless and that I need my hand held. They find being around me to be too troublesome to accommodate for and are quick to leave me and tell me to give up. Only my parents have ever believed in me to be my own self capable of anything I set my mind to...so when you responded with such...enthusiasm I was surprised--In a good way."

Dream could sense a shift in the mood. A slight hitch in George's breaths and a quickened pulse felt through his clothes.

"I don't think of you as useless, you were invaluable to me the entire time I’ve been here. Without you, I wouldn't have been able to become an adventurer or find a quest to do or even find the cat lady's house. Navigating the town would have been difficult and tedious without a serious amount of prep, and you were the one that figured out where the cat would be after all that time we spent searching. I didn’t even think to check the river until you mentioned it."

"But I jumped in without thinking--and when it mattered most, I couldn’t even stand up to help you. I stayed down like a  _ coward  _ \--" George’s voice cracked.

Dream gripped George's shoulder firmly, "And what's wrong with that? Have you ever encountered a zombie before?"

There was a pause before a sharp inhale, "S-sorry, I shook my head, I forgot you can't...I mean, no...I haven't."

Dream smiled and chuckled, "So why should I or anyone expect you to respond perfectly to danger? We're a team, where one of us lacks the other has their back. Do you get it? We make a perfect team and there is still so much more room for us to grow."

**~~~~~**

George was looking down at the cat in Dream’s arm. After rescuing her and bandaging her up, Dream cradled her in his left arm as she soundly slept. 

George didn't dare look into Dream’s eyes...not that it mattered, he thought. He just quietly listened. Was it ok for someone as weak as him to be partied with someone already so strong? Even after listening to all the things Dream said he still wasn't convinced. Maybe it was better for him to give up being an adventurer while he was still alive. Forget getting promoted to F-rank, he would probably never reach the skill level needed to survive against a zombie let alone a horde.

"I-I don't know...Maybe I'm just not cut out to be an adventurer or a knight. "

"Maybe," Dream said. George drooped in response, "But  _ our _ journey’s only just begun, how will we know what we're meant for if we've hardly even tried? I mean it when I say, I want to stay in a party with you. Please consider it?"

George felt Dream let go of his shoulder. He glanced up to see Dream’s hand. His palm opened up to George, begging him to grab hold, to agree to remain in a party.

George wanted every reason to say no, to say that Dream would be better off with someone more qualified...but George didn't want that. He wanted so much to believe in Dream's words. He wanted to believe that he too could grow and improve and that he was worth being in a party with. He wanted to be stronger than he was now

George reached out, he paused. His gaze wavered between Dream’s hand to his face, searching for an answer in his eyes--a force of habit. George sucked in a deep breath, squeezed his eyes shut, and grabbed Dream’s hand.

"Ok. Let's do this."

**~~~~~**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words: 2548
> 
> O: Blind Dream, what. This was planned from te very start, I'm trying my best to be realistic but also fantasize some elements for the sake of the story.
> 
> I've been very careful with the language I used in Dream's POV and avoided visual descriptions and sight related language. 
> 
> This is def one of my biggest challenges. Hope you enjoyed, don't forget to vote, comment, or follow!
> 
> Also feel free to ask questions or share theories (it might be a bit early for theories, but still) 
> 
> Follow my twitter for updates and extra content btw (CATtheDrawer)
> 
> ~CATtheDrawer


	9. Chapter 2.3 - ASE-Stone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm aiming to have CH 3.1 ready by next Sunday, the 11th. I've been struggling writing one part of it tho. Hope you enjoy this one, its kinda cute :)

**Quest**

**Chapter 2.3 [The ASE-Stone]**

Despite taking Dream’s hand...George and Dream traveled in complete silence. To George, it felt a little too awkward to say anything, and that was mainly because he wasn’t sure what to say. By the time they were halfway back to the cat lady’s house, the sun was nearly set, and the stars were beginning to twinkle in the dimming sky. 

Before, George probably would have told Dream that Fulton was known to have some of the clearest skies for stargazing...but what use was that information to Dream? And _Gods_ , just thinking about all the oblivious stuff he did before, George was more surprised Dream didn’t get tired of him! Like, come on?! Sending Dream into the market by himself, no wonder he looked so awkward walking in. He only arrived in town this morning. And let’s not mention how he took off running to head to the gate, and didn’t slow down one bit, he had half a mind to slam his own head into a wall for that! One could argue that because he didn’t know Dream was blind and wasn’t told, then he couldn’t help but assume Dream had sight...but that didn’t make him feel any less stupid. Like even though he knows it was out of his control, he still felt like he should be held responsible or something. George quietly sighed..

George looked at the back of Dream’s head, when they had reached the West Gate about 15 minutes ago, Dream had asked to take the lead. He said he wanted to try finding his way back, and only if after 30 minutes should George step in. 

But Dream honestly didn’t need it, George wasn’t good with directions and could easily get lost if he wasn't paying attention, but he could tell that Dream was heading in the right direction. Not once did he hesitate, and every step was made with confidence. The memory this guy must have had to be insane. They were running all abouts searching for this cat earlier so they must have gotten turned around a bunch of times, yet Dream could still seemingly lead them back to the cat lady's house without getting them lost. And knowing what he knew now, he was more amazed by Dream’s ability to maneuver away from the things he thought would have been impossible to do without sight. Anytime a person walked directly in Dream’s way, he moved with ease to adjust and avoid them. He honestly wouldn't have believed Dream if he told George he was blind had he not seen his face earlier.

He had a million questions he wanted to ask, but it really didn’t feel like the right time to do so.

They arrived at the cat lady’s house without missing a step, George genuinely wanted to voice his amazement, but he held back. 

Dream knocked on the door of the quaint, little red house. A moment later the small old lady answered.

“Oh, you found her! My precious little CAT,” she reached out her arms and grabbed her cat from Dream’s arm. Dream’s broken mask was still tucked under his arm, but with it so dark outside and the fact the lady’s glasses were outdated, she probably didn’t notice Dreams eyes. Not that it would have mattered to her, George was probably just stuck on the matter out of sheer shock from earlier.

“Oh thank you! Thank you, my little rascal must have caused you trouble,” she looked to the two of them and hugged her squirming cat close.

“No trouble at all, George here realized your cat heads to the river a lot and we found her up a tree. She most likely got stuck and nicked her paw, but it’s a small wound.” Dream said; it was probably a good idea to hide the fact there was a zombie in the area. They wouldn’t want to worry her.

“The river! Of course, it all makes sense now, I appreciate all the help dears.”

“We’ll be off then, have a good evening,” Dream said. As the old woman waved them off, George and Dream turned to leave and walked down the street. Dream cleared his throat, “So...I guess this is goodnight? Are we planning to meet up at the guild tomorrow?”

“Y-yeah!” George was momentarily distracted, “We still need to collect the reward for our completed quest, and complete the official party form.”

“Wait, we weren’t a party yet?” Dream asked; they stopped walking.

“We can be an unofficial party, but if we submit an official form with the guild then they’ll automatically divide the rewards for the both of us. And sometimes official parties receive some travel perks, after ranking up to higher levels, of course,” George explained. Dream wasn’t acting as awkward as he was, so he was beginning to feel at ease and relaxed. Maybe George was just overthinking.

“Oh, ok, that sounds good then. I’ll meet you in the morning then,” Dream waved, and George waved back, before momentarily stuttering.

“I-I mean, bye! Sorry I--nevermind,” Dream chuckled and started to walk away. George let out a sigh he had built up and started walking back in the opposite direction, towards the inn he was staying in.

It was maybe after 10 minutes of walking that a sudden realization hit George...if Dream arrived just this morning…did he even have a place to stay? If not, did he even know where to find one?

 _Shoot_ \--George was in a half panic, should he go back and find Dream to make sure he was fine or--George pinched himself. _No, no_ , it was fine, Dream already mentioned he didn’t appreciate being babied. He was fine, Dream seemed like a very confident guy, if he didn’t know where to go he would have asked George for directions. Maybe…?

George just needed to go home and get some rest. He wouldn’t worry about it anymore. He trusted Dream.

**~~~~~**

George definitely worried all night. By the time he returned to his inn last night it was already late at night. The sun was fully set, and the stars were shining bright--he had attempted to double back more than 3 times by then, but he had to force himself to calm down and continue back towards his inn.

George yawned, his mouth stretched wide as he covered it with his hand. Tears pricked his tired eyes as he sat hunched inside the guildhall. He was probably too early, Dream was probably still sleeping soundly, but George was too anxious to stay cooped up in his room.

“Good morning!” George jumped, he turned his head to see Dream approaching him with a pep in his step. 

“Oh, good morning,” George wanted to ask how he found him so easily, but he held back...he didn’t want to be rude. Was it rude? “Did you sleep fine?”

“Sure did, I camped out--”

“You what?” George was awake now.

“I said I camped out, I didn’t have any money for a room after paying the guild fee yesterday, and I figured I wouldn’t be able to trade anything on me for a room since it didn’t work at the market yesterday, I just camped out,” Dream shrugged, but smiled calmly. He didn’t seem bothered in the slightest.

But aw crap! George should’ve remembered that Dream had no money! He knew he should have gone to find him last night! He was stressing silently.

“Hey don’t worry about it, I can tell you’re panicking but it's fine. Unless it’s home, I kind of prefer the outdoors, so it’s really not that bad,” Dream tried to reassure him and George found himself calming down a bit, “So what’s this party form we have to fill?”

Dream reached for the chair in front of him, found it, and sat down. Another mystery on how he did that, but George would ask another time. George straightened up and cleared his throat, “It’s just form of consent from both of us and our agreements on how we wish to split rewards and loot, but the guild opens at 7, so we still have like 15 minutes,” George glanced up at the clock to be sure and nodded to himself when he confirmed he was right.

“Sounds good--Oh, I wanted to ask, yesterday your friend pricked my finger for this stone thing on my wrist, so how does it work?”

The ASE-Stone! George completely forgot to show Dream how to use it!

“Well, you press your thumb against the surface of the stone and it brings up a magic screen that tracks your levels, and stats and special moves. It also keeps tracks of your health and any status effects you might have.”

“Oh...so what level am I?” Dream pressed his thumb to the stone, a little screen popped up and George moved his chair so that he could see.

“It says level 20! Not bad! That’s pretty good--OH MY,” George took a closer look at Dream’s screen.

“What?” There was a hint of worry in his voice.

“You already have 3 special moves unlocked and you’re only level 20???” George could hardly believe it, no wonder Dream was so strong, even though he didn’t seem like it.

“Is that bad? What does that even mean? What’s a special move?”

“It’s not bad at all! In fact, that’s really good! I’ll try to describe it as best as I can, Special Moves are abilities that a person can ‘unlock’ if you will, after they meet certain conditions. Each person only has room for 6 moves, and they act like power-ups in certain situations. You can also think of them like learned skills, normally different from occupational skills. Even if we were both using the same weapons and taking the same path we might not develop the same or similar special moves just because of the way we respond to situations. The abilities can be offensive, defensive or passive abilities.” 

Dream was nodding through George’s explanation, “And I have three, which means I’ve gone through situations where my experiences and skills were enough to unlock these moves? How do I use them and what are they?”

“Well, you probably already use them in your daily life, since they are abilities you developed well enough for it to be considered a special move in the first place,” George reached out and paused, “Do you mind if I grab your hand? It’s your magic screen so it won’t respond to me. ASE-stones are specially enchanted by high-level mages to function this way, so that it's difficult to steal and use someone else's identity. The stone acts like your identification as a guild member and keeps all your info, rank, and so on.”

Dream nodded and George grabbed his hand. He used Dream’s finger to tap one of the special moves and began to read it out loud.

"So will I only level up if I have this stone on me?" Dream asked.

George shook his head, "No, the stone only makes our stats visible, and the magic enchants tied to our blood is what helps the stone display our growth numerically. Leveling up, as it's referred to on the screen, is just our experiences numerically shown as progression. So the stone doesn't affect your growth in life or the skills you gain."

“Hmm,” Dream stroked his chin, “So what does ASE even mean?”

George blanked, “Um...I actually don’t know, It’s just the name of the stone and the mechanism, so I never really thought about the meaning behind the name. Maybe it’s like ‘Awesome Stat…E...val...uator?”

Dream shrugged.

“You two look pretty chummy now,” George looked behind him and smiled.

“Em!” Em, his friend, was leaning over the counter staring at the two of them.

“Alright, calm down there, good job on completing your first quest you two. I heard you two fought a zombie, glad y’all are alright.”

“First?” Dream asked.

“Wait you know we fought a zombie?” George was trying hard not to go red in the face. He couldn’t believe Em would say that out loud. He didn’t really want to mention his embarrassing failures no matter how nice Dream was.

“Sure do, the guards at the West Gate found the ash and weapons of the zombie there. One of the trainees even witnessed a portion of the fight before running back to get help, but the two of you had already taken care of it and left by the time they came back. And while normally you aren’t supposed to leave the town for quests, it was unprecedented that your lost cat was outside by the river, and you two did manage to fight off the zombie so the guild can't be too upset,” Em stepped back from the counter and leaned down.

A few moments of rustling later and she heaved onto the counter an iron enchanted sword and a dented helmet, “Given our policies, this is part of your official loot, so you can choose to keep it or sell it. Also,” she held up one finger when George opened his mouth to speak, she opened up a drawer and brought out a hefty, palm-sized pouch, “This is the reward money from the quest and then some,” she tossed it in their direction, but George was too slow to react. Dream caught it without batting an eye, which was a figure of speech of course. He wasn't sure if Dream’s eyes could bat. Do blind people blink? Was this a rude question to ask--now wasn't the time. George should also mention Dream had fitted his mask back on his head with a makeshift strap, so Em probably didn’t know he was actually blind.

George leaned over as Dream opened up the pouch, George’s eyes practically popped out. Not only was there the 100 bronze reward but there were so many silver pieces and even a gold coin!

“H-hah,” George looked back at Em and then back at Dream who was grabbing a few of the coins and weighing them carefully in his hand, he brought a few up to his mask, George was assuming, to smell.

“Wasn’t it just supposed to be bronze? Aren’t these silver and gold too?” Dream asked.

“Yep,” Em smiled, “Mrs. Tabsfield, your client from yesterday, came by this morning. When she heard you G-ranked adventurers fought a zombie to save her cat she was over the moon with appreciation and what not," Em lazily waved off the last bit, "You probably don’t know this, but Mrs. Tabsfield is actually the great aunt of the guild master here in Fulton, so on her insistence, we threw in 50 silver and 1 gold coin--think of it as a tip on top of your reward.”

“Oh my--this is amazing!” George couldn’t believe the amount of money they were receiving!

“Here George, you can take the gold coin for your family, we can split the bronze and silver 50/50. And you can also keep the sword, it’s enchanted, I think it might have knockback, but the smell of it might have something else too. I'm not too familiar with the smells of different enchantments,” Dream placed the gold coin in George’s hand. 

“W-wait, I can’t just take this much, you did the actual fighting and saved me and the cat!” George tried to give the coin back, didn’t he know just how much was in one gold coin? It was enough to feed an entire commoner family of 3 for a year. It was way too much, since having to live rather frugally since leaving home and coming to Fulton, he had a much better appreciation for money and the costs of things. So he couldn’t cheat Dream out of his proper reward.

“It’s fine, you need a new sword and think of it as me repaying you for lunch yesterday.”

George was about to respond to how the two were nowhere near equal in value but he shut up as Dream tilted his head. It almost felt like he was giving George a pointed look telling him he wouldn’t budge on the matter. George combed a hand through his hair and sighed. “Thanks,” his voice was small and he tried really hard not to cry--he was extremely grateful. They’ve only known each other for a day but George trusted this man with his life, he was sure Dream was the kind of guy who was invaluable as a friend, he was glad to have met him. He would definitely find a way to repay him for his kindness and then some!

When George looked back up, Dream had a patient smile on his face, like he knew George had cried a little but didn’t find anything wrong with it. He was just waiting for George to let it all out.

“Alright, just one last bit you two and then I’ll leave you two to go back to being buddy buddy,” Em brought out a sheet of paper and pen, “Are the two of you planning on officially partying up?”

“Yep!” Dream said and George nodded. He wiped away the last bit of tears. The two of them grabbed their belongings and stood up from the table.

“Sounds good, I’ll leave you two to fill this out, and you can leave it here when you’re done.” She stepped back, “Good luck George,” she smiled and George smiled back. Em too, was a good friend, and he wouldn’t be where he was today without her pushiness. And the times she lent him money for food, he would definitely have to repay her for that!

The two of them were left with just the form and George picked up the pen, “I’ll write our names down.”

Dream started to speak as George wrote down their names, “So in terms of splitting the reward, I don’t mind 80/20, 80 for you and 20 for me, money is not that important to me and I can make use of the land pretty well for any of my basic needs so--”

“Whoa whoa, hold up, I can’t just take 80." George stopped writing and looked up at Dream, "I’m very grateful that you let me have the gold coin, but I think we should at least do 50/50, even though you are way more skilled than me, 50/50 would still be a fair, equal split.”

“But, I really don’t mind. I can hunt, sleep outside, getting clean water is no problem either since there are rivers. Why not 70/30?”

When George didn’t respond, he was half hoping his frown and pointed stare would bare down on Dream and the message would be received even if he couldn't see him looking, Dream scratched the back of his head, “6o/40?”

“50/50, an even split. I’ll only be satisfied with this.”

“Fine...but why not I at least let you get first pick from any loot we find.”

George was struggling to get past this stubbornness of Dream, he ultimately sighed, “Ok fine. We’ll do a 50/50 split and I can pick through the loot first.” Dream smiled.

George begrudgingly wrote it down. As he neared the bottom of the sheet he noticed there was a line for naming their party, “Hey, what should we call ourselves? It says here we can name our party.”

Dream shrugged, “Maybe just George and Dream?”

That didn’t sound too exciting…, “Hmmm, what about the Dream Duo, or the Dream Team?” Can you be a team with only two people? George wasn't sure about that.

Dream gave George a funny face, only apparent by his lopsided frown, the only visible part of his face due to his mask, “Why are you using my name, why not the George Team??”

George waved him off, “Not nearly as catchy, I’ll just write down the Dream Team, we can probably change it should we come up with a better name.”

Dream opened his mouth to say something but quickly shut it. 

“Alright!” George signed and then pushed the paper towards Dream, “Now you just need to sign, but maybe this time a little smaller and closer to the line.”

“Sure, just tap where the line is for me,” Dream felt for the pen and picked it up as George tapped the paper. Dream was quick to find the area where George tapped and signed with a smiley face, certainly smaller than before, but still a little off in size.

George still found it surprising how Dream was able to do that. It was so simple, but he still found it hard to wrap his head around. Was he using sound? There would probably be a lot of things he would find surprising because he didn’t realize it was possible for someone blind to do it. So he figured eventually he would get used to the number of surprises if he stuck by Dream long enough.

“So now what?”

“Hmmm, I guess we can go shopping. I don’t need this dented iron helmet and my old sword is cracked so I can sell both. You need to repair your mask’s strap so maybe we can find something in the market, have a proper meal, and maybe anything else we might need.”

“After, we can just come back to find another quest to do, right?” Dream asked.

“Yep!”

“Let’s get going then!” Dream pumped his fist into the air and they took off to the exit.

**~~~~~**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words: 3586
> 
> The next few chapters may not have any art because I want to get to a certain part and have a drawing ready for those chapters. So please bare with me.
> 
> If you're enjoying what you've read so far, then please vote and comment and follow if you like :D I also post occasional updates and sneak peeks on Twitter (CATtheDrawer)
> 
> Thank you for all the support!
> 
> ~CATtheDrawer


	10. Chapter 3.1 - Heroes of the Ages

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would ya'll be interested in a discord server? It's a possibility, not a promise, I'm curious about how many people are interested first.
> 
> There's not art this time, I'm working on some art for later chapters so the next few chapters won't have any.

**Quest**

**Chapter 3.1 [Heroes of the Ages]**

George and Dream returned to the market from yesterday; since it was still early morning, many shops and stalls hadn’t quite opened up yet. But they were headed to the blacksmith first.

In his hand, George had his old sword, he was planning to sell it now that he had this new one from their fight yesterday. His new one felt heavier at his side, and he was a little unsure if he would be capable of wielding it, he touched the hilt often like he was testing how it felt.

“You keep touching your sword, are you worried you won’t be able to properly use it?”

George jumped and let go of his sword, “Haha, it’s amazing the things you pick up on,” George chuckled, “but, yeah. I’m a little worried.”

“Well, I know a bit of swordsmanship from my dad. He taught me a variety of skills growing up, so I’ll show you some.”

“That would be awesome!” George was once again grateful to Dream, he was really too kind. George made a promise to himself that he would get strong fast, he didn’t want to be protected by Dream forever. What happened yesterday was unprecedented, but the next time they were faced with a monster, he would be ready. Even if it meant Dream had to teach him the basics, he would surely take that knowledge and use it to grow stronger than he was now.

When George pushed open the door to the blacksmith, there was a bell that rang. 

“Welcome!” A burly man walked out and greeted them. He was covered in grime and soot, but his cheeks remained rosy despite it all.

“We’re here to sell this broken sword and damaged helmet,” George set his sword on the counter and took the helmet from Dream before doing the same.

While George talked to the blacksmith, Dream wandered around the shop. If he had to explain how the place felt to him without sight, he would say it felt like a place filled with pride. The walls were lined with weapons, shields, and armor of all shapes and sizes, and he knew this because there was almost a feeling of life that radiated from the walls. 

It was like the way he imagined his father’s favorite axe. He would spend a few hours a day just sharpening, cleaning, and tending to the weapon, even though Dream has never heard his father use it, it was treated almost like a 4th member of the family. Loved and cherished. 

That was what this shop felt like to him, everything felt like it was made with the utmost pride and care.

Dream ran his fingers along the wall, he was careful not to let himself get cut by the expertly sharpened weapons. He stopped when he nearly bumped into an upright object, he turned his head back to George to hear if he had noticed his almost blunder. 

“You sure you wanna sell these? I could fix them up for you instead.”

“No, it’s fine.”

Dream turned back to the human-shaped figure, he felt the wooden surface until his fingers met cool metal. By the smell it was iron, the shape resembled armor. It felt pretty thin and light, but he was sure it was sturdy too. A chest plate, a shoulder guard, he tilted the mannequin slightly, the bottom was heavy. Most likely some sort of boots or shin-guards.

“Hey George,” Dream interrupted.

“Yeah Dream?”

“Why don’t you get this set of armor, it feels pretty light, and as a swordsman, it would be good of you to have some.”

“What, but we probably don’t have the money for that--”

“We got a nice tip this morning, sir, how much for this set?”

“Hmm? That right there is 20 silvers, it’s lightweight, but crafted with some higher-grade iron, 25 if you get that shield on that there wall.” Dream didn’t know where he was pointing so he walked up to the wall and felt around until he met what he assumed was a shield based on its shape.

“This one?” There was silence.

“Yeah, that one,” George said after a moment. Dream was going to assume the blacksmith had nodded, “But Dream, maybe we should save the money? We’re still G-rank, so what happened yesterday was a fluke. We won’t be fighting any monsters or thugs any time soon.”

Dream shrugged, “Maybe, but if I’m going to teach you some basics, I won’t go easy, you know. George gulped.

“Yeah...we’ll take it, and the shield.” Dream held back a laugh, he didn’t mean to sound intimidating.

**~~~~~**

After an hour of selling George’s old sword and the zombie’s helmet, plus the time it took to get George fitted with the armor and the adjustments made for the straps, they were finally out in the market again.

“Whew, this is supposed to be light?” George twisted his body and tried to stretch a bit, “I feel like I’m being tied to the ground.” His footsteps scraped against the stone roads.

Dream snickered, “You’ll get used to it, it’ll help you build some muscle, let me see the zombie’s sword again,” Dream held out his hands and George unhooked the sword and sheath from his side before placing it into Dream’s outstretched hands.

The two of them stepped off the side of the road as Dream unsheathed the sword. He set the sheath down and leaned it against the wall of the building they were by. 

George watched him run his fingers along the metal and toss the sword gently up, maybe testing its weight.

"I thought so, this sword matches your armor pretty well. When I fought the zombie it was fast to swing this sword, but the zombie didn’t feel particularly strong, so I figured the sword was light.

"It probably won’t feel like that at first, but we'll build up your strength in your arms with two-handed techniques, however, I guarantee that once you get used to it you'll be able to switch to an offensive-defensive technique, sword in one hand, shield in the other."

“Wow, you really sound like you know your stuff,” George held back a whistle of admiration. Dream chuckled and handed the sword back to George.

“Not really, my dad only taught me some of the basics of sword fighting growing up, but he was always more of an axe guy, so I mainly use an axe,” Dream patted the axe on his side, “Though this one is just a regular axe, not really meant for fighting.”

“You traveled all the way from Loem with a regular axe? What about monsters? The nights in the wilderness are dangerous I heard,” George clipped the sheathe back onto his side and sheathed his sword.

“Well, I also have my bow,” Dream pointed to his back.

“Actually, about that...sorry if this question sounds rude, but I’ve been really curious, if you’re blind how do you even use a bow?” George always imagined sight would be important for any archer, being able to see where the opponent or prey is seemed like something no archer could do without.

“I’m more surprised you’re only asking me now about how I do things, I rely a lot on sounds, smells, touch, and heat. Taste is also important, but in this situation it’s not as useful. I can use my bow accurately without sight because I can still pinpoint where things are using my other senses.”

“Like that woman there,” A woman in blue hugging a bag of fruits in her arms hurried past them in a rush. “Her manner of walking makes me 95% certain she’s a woman, it's the way her footsteps echo on the stone and the time between each step signifies a smaller stride, the rustling in her arms sounds like a paper bag being held close. Then there is the scent of apples and oranges, so her bag is most likely filled with them.”

George was almost too dumbfounded to respond, but he closed his gaping mouth and cleared his throat, “Do you ever make mistakes? Or bump into anything?”

“Well,” Dream scratched the back of his head, “Plenty of times, inanimate objects and non-living things can be difficult to find, especially if they are small and have little presence.” Dream’s stomach began to rumble and George couldn’t help but laugh. He was having a sense of deja vu from yesterday's ordeal.

“Come on, let’s get some food, and maybe we’ll find something to fix your mask too, while we’re at it.”

Dream nodded, “On the topic of all these personal questions, I realized I never told you about my parents. I think you asked yesterday, but we got distracted by something else.” George pushed off the wall and together the two walked back into the street. He hoped Dream wasn’t too picky, he only knew one stall that had the best ready-made food, that was also cheap and in his budget. Even if they made a ton of money this morning, saving was important regardless, who knew how long this money would last the two of them.

"Oh yeah, you mentioned they met 30 years ago during the dungeon battle at the Divide."

"Mhm, my parent's names are Jona and Rosemary. They've told me that their first meeting wasn't all that great," Dream chuckled.

"My dad got himself and several other adventurers drunk the night before the battle and it was my mother who had to angrily clean up the mess and provide hangover remedies using her magic." Dream stopped walking when he noticed he couldn't hear George's footsteps beside him. He turned back in the crowd to hear better, George was standing a step or two behind where Dream once was, "Uh George?"

George himself, though he had swore to himself that he wouldn't let Dream continue to leave him stunned with all of his surprises, couldn't help the shock that zapped through his body.

"Don't tell me you know who I'm talking about? Are they famous?"

Dream looked a little nervous and George had to hold back the shout he was going to do. He sucked in a deep breath, held it, then let it out slowly. He then walked up to Dream who was waiting and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Famous? Don't even get me started, they're practically legends in my town. I'd even call them the greatest heroes of this age. Their contributions in that dungeon subjugation 30 years ago, plus the other countless quests they've taken on."

"Oh, wow. Truth be told, it's hard to tell that kind of stuff when you live in a mountain cabin with them. They talk like everything they did was never that big of a deal and then I immediately get my butt kicked in training."

George and Dream laughed, he was glad he held in the brunt of his shock.

“I still can’t imagine that a hero like Jona the Executioner got drunk before a battle, are you sure?"

"Definitely, my mother never lets him forget, but he's not as prone to celebratory drinking as he was back then--and is that really what people called him? No wonder he would never tell me the nickname he was given, it makes him sound like the bad guy," Dream and George were having a good time laughing and talking. George led Dream to a small stall in the market. The line was never long here, though he couldn't imagine why.

"George! Good to see ya!" A loud stout, old man greeted him behind the stall. George breathed in the thick smells of heaven, "I see you've brought a friend too." George looked back to see Dream wave in their direction.

"Yep! And we want two of your best plates--to go!" Mr. Hanson, was his name. He was a very nice guy who enjoyed making good food for people, it was cheap, but George couldn't have lived without it this past month. 

The food was served to them quickly and George was happy to pay plus add a little tip. Afterwards the two of them ate their food as they continued to walk and talk. It was stir fry, mixeds with an assortment of vegetables and covered in a rich sauce.

"Everyone describes your mom like a saintess gifted with kindness and virtue, so I find it funny trying to imagine her getting angry at your dad for getting drunk, when they were complete strangers." George said as he shoveled a spoonful of food in his mouth. 

"Maybe so, but between you and me, she can be especially scary when she's mad. You should've seen how angry she was after the first time my dad took me out hunting. He thought it'd be a good idea to teach me the way he was taught and leave me alone in the woods. She had half a mind to kick him out for a week." Dream snickered. George did his best to stifle his laugh. 

"But if she did that, then there'd be no food for a week, at least nothing edible."

"Wait, so your dad is the one that does all the cooking?" 

Dream nodded, "Mhm, he's definitely the better chef and cleaner, but we don't tell my mom that."

George snickered and nearly doubled over as he  _ almost _ inhaled a carrot. He coughed, "Oof."

They walked and ate and chatted as they strolled through the market. George was thinking about what kind of quest they should do next, someone as skilled as Dream would probably get bored of most of the G-ranked quests quickly so it would be great if they could rank up as quickly as possible. 

He too was getting antsy about still being a G-rank adventurer. He was ready to get out and see more of the Empire!

"Thief! You bastard! Get back here!" Dream and George turned their heads into the direction of the loud outburst. Through the crowd George could see a figure barreling through the people in their direction. George himself barely managed to stumble backwards out of the way as a scrappy fellow came rushing by him with a sack slung over his shoulder. Heavy clinking could be heard from the bag as he passed. Moments later he was followed by two guards dressed in light armor, the crowd was only just now thinning to make way for the pursuit. George could only watch in dumbfounded awe.

"Whoa, that was crazy and out of nowhere, huh Dr--" George turned to speak to Dream who was supposed to be beside him.

He wasn't. 

"Dream!" George looked around wildly until he spotted the familiar masked man rushing through the crowd at least 20 blocks ahead. He was giving chase behind the guards following the thief, "Dream! Hold up!"

George took off behind Dream, just what in the world was he doing!

~~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words: 2485
> 
> Thanks for reading! Don't forget to follow, vote, or comment!
> 
> ~CATtheDrawer


	11. Chapter 3.2 - Thief!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to get this chapter out early so you guys wouldn't have to wait! I also did a poll on Twitter about opening a Quest discord server so if you want to join, just use this link! :D
> 
> https://discord.gg/Hg6HDqd

**Quest**

**Chapter 3.2 [Thief!]**

"Thief! You bastard! Get back here!"

Dream turned his head in the direction of the outburst. He quickly picked up on 3 key sounds, the first was several pairs of feet running towards them. One was lighter footed than the other two. The second was the sound of clinking metal, most likely coins given the amount of noise. The third was the sound of armor scraping along the road--guards--most likely pursuing the person with the coins.

Dream stepped back as they all rushed by him, it wasn't his business but he could tell the guards would lose the thief soon. They were too slow and the crowd was equally slow to react as the thief bobbed in and out through the gaps.

Beside him was George, a little stunned, but unharmed from all the chaos. He had a feeling George would call him crazy for interfering, but-- Dream took off running. He had a bit of an understanding of this town from all the searching he and George did yesterday, plus after parting ways with George he wandered the town a bit at night. He didn't have to worry about avoiding crowds at that time so it helped him map out the land a bit more.

"Dream!" Oops, looks like George noticed, he was only planning to help out a bit and then return later.

"Dream! Hold up!" George was lagging behind him as the chase exited the main part of the market. Dream slowed down.

"Wh-why are you suddenly running after them," George asked.

"Uh well...impulse? It didn't sound like those guard would be able to catch them so I thought--"

"What! We can't just chase after them for that, what if they think we are in cahoots with that guy!" Dream was silent at George's response. He hadn't really thought about that. Up ahead he could hear the chase receding, they were losing them while they talked.

"Well…" Dream shrugged, "Sorry," Dream and George slowed down to a walking pace before stopping altogether, "Yeah I guess I got caught up in the spur of the moment, we should maybe head back."

"That's a good idea, I'm sure the professionals can take care of it."

"Yeah…" They turned back and headed back to the market. Dream had a habit of doing things like this, it was sort of like a gut feeling that spurred him into action, but he couldn't really explain that to George. He figured it was best to let this one go and let the guards handle it, hopefully.

George and Dream carried on with their "window shopping". He still needed a new strap for his mask, he could tell this make-shift fix wasn't going to last very long, and he didn't need any more trouble because of people judging his abilities.

In about an hour of walking around, Dream did finally manage to find something durable. He'd be able to mend his mask later tonight.

"Let's head back to the guild now, we can look for a quest to do."

"Sure," Dream smiled.

**~~~~~**

When they arrived back at the guild, it was bustling with noise and chatter and was more crowded than normal. George couldn't even see the quest board due to the number of people around it.

"What the--" 

"Is it normally this busy?" Dream asked. Hearing the large crowd of people was probably somewhat shocking to Dream. George was pretty sure he’s only been in the guild twice, and both times were early in the morning when hardly anyone was around. 

George looked at Dream and shook his head before quickly adding, "Not really, not this early, something big must be going on."

"Yo George!" George looked towards the voice and grinned, it was Aren. Aren was an adventurer like him, they both started around the same time except Aren was already an E-Rank adventurer. The two of them met because of a small gathering the guild held to introduce new adventurers to each other. Aren was really chill, and had some magic, if he recalled. He was sure they would have been great teaming up in a party but since they became an adventurer with a bunch of their friends and their party was already at max George couldn't really intrude. Like Em, Aren was a really nice person, so seeing them always cheered George up when he was having a rough time.

"Aren! How are you, do you know what's going on?"

"I'm good, I only arrived in town with my party just a bit ago. But it sounds like there is a new top priority E-Rank quest. Sounds like several small establishments were hit by a coordinated robbing earlier this afternoon."

"What?" George had a feeling it was connected to the incident he and Dream were briefly a part of earlier. He glanced at Dream who hadn't reacted. 

"Yeah, they need help searching for these robbers and recovering the stolen items."

"Are you going to take on the quest?"

"Nah, some of my party members might, but I'm going to rest for the next few days. We ran into a bit of a scuffle with some bandits on the way back to Fulton and I got a bit injured, nothing too bad." George only just now noticed the bandages on Aren's leg, "What about you, did you make it to F-Rank yet?"

George sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck before realizing he hadn't introduced Dream to Aren yet. "Not yet, but now that you're here I should introduce you to Dream! We met yesterday and we've only just recently formed an official party today." George pointed to Dream who waved.

"Nice meeting you man, I'm Aren, they/them. How long have you been adventuring?"

"Uh, since yesterday morning."

Aren whistled, "Hope you like it so far, George is a good guy so I'm glad you guys are partying together. Let's sit down, I'll order us some drinks." Aren pointed to a table and George sat down. Dream followed behind. George watched as Aren went to order drinks.

**~~~~~**

"Maybe we should have given chase," Dream said.

"What, nonono, it's better that we didn't get involved. We aren't even E-rank yet. Yesterday was a fluke, getting involved could get us in trouble."

Dream frowned, just then Aren returned with 3 drinks, "Hope you don't mind juice, the guild is known to have awful alcohol, but spot-on juice."

"Thanks," Dream reached out to the drink in front of him, he was overcome with the sweet smell of apple juice again. Just like yesterday morning. He wondered where they got the abundance of apples because as far as he could tell he never smelled an orchard nearby. He took a sip. 

In that moment, the doors to the guild slammed open and Dream was startled by the bursting noise; he was careful not to let his drink spill. 

"Move out of the way losers! This quest will be completed by me, so give up while I'm being nice!" A loud, arrogant voice silenced the chatter of the guild. Dream's ears picked up on the subtle tensing of George's hands as he gripped his drink with stronger force. The air was thick with tension, and it wasn't just from George. He could feel it from most people in the area. This guy was surely someone greatly disliked.

The person who spoke began to tread through the guild, passing straight by their table. There was shuffling of feet behind them as the crowd at the back of the guild dispersed. That was where Dream knew the quest board was. The person was quietly followed by a few people, their steps laden with haughty arrogance. He could hear the clinking of armor on two of them.

"Ugh, not that prick," Aren broke the tense silence around them with a harsh whisper. Before Dream could utter even a word of confusion or curiosity, one of the people following the first stopped walking and turned towards them. This person had no armor, he smelled like smoked meat. It might be from the large bag on the guy's back, which was also thick with the smell of smoked meat.

"Oi what was that? You dare speak ill of Sir Numen? Don't you know who he is? He's the son of Marquess Roxus of the Northern territory of the Empire."

"Yeah and what of it!" Aren stood up, the chair clattered to the ground with a loud thud, "Just coz he's some noble that gives him the right to push others around? Nobody will say it, but I'm tired of letting that self-centered arse think he can push people around and silence them with money."

"Hey Aren, let’s not cause any trouble--" George’s voice was drowned out. The lackey snatched Dream’s drink from his hands and before he could react, he heard its contents dumped over Aren. Dream scowled under his mask, he didn't know these people, but it didn't matter.

Dream stood up and grabbed the collar of the one who poured his drink over Aren.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing--" he struggled under Dream’s grip, but couldn't push him off, "Oi, get your hands off me!" 

"Dream--" George suddenly shouted, George stood up quickly. Dream's ears picked up the subtle noise of shifting armor. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end and he sensed an oncoming object being swung his way, he let go of the man and ducked. It was probably one of the other followers of that prick. 

His mask began to loosen-- _ shoot _ \--he hadn't had the chance yet to repair it and he panicked. One hand reached up to hold it in place while the other took hold of his empty drink cup from the other guy. He ripped it from his hold and brought up the wooden cup and deflected another oncoming blow. He winced as the force pushed him back. The metal blade smirked off his cup and into the floor.

Dream stumbled back but remained standing.

"Alright! You know the rules, no fighting in the guild! Break it up or you'll be suspended!" Dream turned his head towards an unfamiliar voice. The feeling of danger disappeared and he set his cup down; he took this time to fix his mask before it could fall off, retying the make-shift strap.

"Guildmaster, I'm sure it's just a slight misunderstanding," The arrogant prick from before approached Dream and his friends. Dream was overcome with a feeling of disgust, "I apologize on behalf of my party members and will surely sort this out, you needn't worry."

"Good, please do. Carry on everyone." The commotion died down in the crowd and everyone quickly returned to their business.

**~~~~~**

George watched the whole event unfold. He was unable to do anything once again. 

"My apologies, it seems my party members got a bit worked up in my stead."

"You shouldn't be apologizing to me, but to them instead," Dream pointed to Aren.

"Save your breath Dream, this prick is filled with only fake apologies."

"Now I'm hurt! You really think that of me?" He turned to Dream and didn't wait for a reply, "I'm actually quite impressed by your show of skill. I'm Numen Roxus, 3rd son of Marquess Roxus. Axel and Kisha are two knights I've hired, but you've held them off with only a cup. Very remarkable indeed,” He pulled up a chair right in between him and Dream. How unfortunate, George was greatly uncomfortable by his presence, for a multitude of reasons.

“I would pay you handsomely, of course, but you’ll definitely benefit more from working for me than hanging around some country loser and the son of a coward.” George shrunk back in shame...he hated to admit it but he was r--.

“You’re lucky the guildmaster intervened,” Dream sat down, he spoke in a quiet tense whisper. The mask, though covering most of his face, could not shield them from the waves of anger radiating from Dream, “But no one gets away with insulting or degrading my friends. I’m already in a party and I won’t join you.”

He frowned, “Fine, it’s your loss, but don’t blame me when I make a fool out of you and your ragged party. I’ll even let you take on this quest alongside my party, it’ll be a race to see who finishes first."

Dream was about to accept but George hurriedly stepped in, “We can’t; we’re not E-rank yet.”

Numen stared at George before laughing, “That’s too bad, I gave you the benefit of the doubt George, but even if your old man is the coward of the century and the greatest embarrassment to the north, at least he had the talent and skill to become the youngest captain of the Imperial Knights by the time he was your age. It's already been a month and you haven't progressed at all, I don't even know why you bothered leaving home. You’re really hopeless,” he stood from the seat, “Well it can’t be helped then. My offer still stands if you decide it isn’t worth your time partying with a loser like that." He waved while snickering to himself. 

George heaved a sigh of relief, thank the gods he finally left. He jumped as Dream slammed his fist on the table, "D-Dream?"

"What an asshole! How could you just sit there and take that," he grumbled.

"It's ok--" George started.

"It's really not, how can someone be so self centered? Let's show that prick what we're capable of," Dream huffed.

George's mouth opened and closed, his words failing to form. He didn't like the sound of that.

"I'm with you there," Aren sat back down. He grimaced at the drying, sticky mess in his hair. He stood back up, "Actually...I'll need a shower first. I'll have to catch you two later, but George, don't let those asshole's words get to you. They aren't true."

Aren waved to them and left both him and Dream alone at the table. George glanced over to the quest board, Numen and his gang were hogging the space. George flinced when Numen looked his way and made a face at him.

“George, I’m serious, we should take on this quest,” George opened his mouth to interject but was cut off by Dream, “But hold on, hear me out,” Dream waved his arms. He leaned forward on the table and drew closer to George, he whispered in a hushed voice, “I know we aren’t E-rank adventurers so we can’t officially take on the quest….but if we just  _ happened _ to stumble in to the thief’s den and needed to fight for  _ self-defense _ then we could finish the quest before that prick could.”

Dream sat back in his chair, no longer leaning, “Look, I don’t know the history the two of you have, I’m sure it’s not pleasant, and I’m not asking you spill every detail about yourself...But trust Aren--trust  _ me _ when I say, that guy can’t define who you are. So what if you aren’t like your dad, everyone is their own person--you’ll forge your own path--isn’t that why we’re here?”

George sat quietly for a moment. Everything Dream said made sense, he knew it in his head that he was his own person and that he could make his own choices. He knew he didn’t have to be defined by his father’s legacy or his failures, those weren’t his. Even still, that didn’t stop the doubts in his heads.

He became an adventurer to earn money for his family...but that in part was just an excuse. His father who so fervently denied anyone from talking or speaking about knighthood and was against the very idea of him becoming a knight. But just as Dream had said before, there were many ways he could be earning money for his family, but he stuck to being an adventurer solely to become a knight, even though his own life was at risk.

Once again, he was faced with the decision to take a chance. He trusted Dream, but was he ready to trust himself too?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words: 2688
> 
> Comment! Vote! Follow! Theories?
> 
> And don't forget to join the discord server if you are interested! :D 
> 
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> 
> ~CATtheDrawer


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